1. Field of the Invention
A lumber staging device to selectively position a supply of lumber of select dimensions within arms reach of an operator of an automated saw.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically in cutting lumber workers manually pull the lumber pieces from an elongated conveyor on which the lumber are carried in a transverse position. This work is labor intensive and extremely tiring. Thus, there is a need to mechanize and automate the handling of the lumber as much as is practical.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,303 teaches a conveyor for transporting wood slabs comprising a plurality of spaced-apart rails each carrying an endless loop of chain routed around a respective drive sprocket and an idler roller, and a plurality of further idler rollers support the upper course of the chain above the upper edges of the rails. Each chain comprises inter-linked oval links, so that the links lie in perpendicular planes, with links lying in vertical planes extending into recesses in the sprockets and idler rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,952 shows an apparatus for handling timber of comprising an elongated conveyor for carrying timber pieces, a plurality of storage pockets placed at one side of the conveyor and mechanical means for the automatic transfer of each timber piece to a selected storage pocket according to the dimension and/or quality class of the timber piece concerned.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,200 discloses a process for the stacking sheet material and an apparatus for the stacking of sheets for processing in multi-level presses.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,825 relates to an apparatus for sorting green lumber as cut in a sawmill according to size or grade.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,017,535 discloses an apparatus for handling and transferring the mat board from a mat forming unit to a press.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,923,548 shows an article handling system comprising a rack to support a number of endless conveyors one above the other. The boards are received on a specially constructed carrier. This carrier may be tilted; that is, the outer end of the carrier is moveable up and down so that it may be brought into position to register with any one of the endless conveyors on the receiving rack. In operation a board travels over the tilting carrier and is received by one of the conveyors on the received by one of the conveyors on receiving rack. The operator then shifts the tilting carrier so that another of the conveyors on the receiving rack will receive the next board. In this manner the receiving rack can be filled with boards.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,860,679 relates to tipple conveyor for transferring articles, such as pieces of composition board, from one conveyor to one or more other conveyors arranged at different levels with respect to the first conveyor and each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,809,456 teaches an apparatus for delivering sheets from a press or other apparatus to various decks of multiple deck dryer.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,441,661 shows the invention providing a suitable mechanism partially or wholly automatic in character whereby successive pallets may be received at one end of a series of such drying racks and deposited in properly spaced relation.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,192,832 discloses a conveyor for conducting strips of lumber from one place to another. One side of conveyor will travel faster than the other as to move the strips of lumber to an oblique position which causes the lumber to overlap each other permitting more lumber to fed to destination faster than ordinary construction.
Canadian 2,053,993 shows a tool and method for use in conjunction with chain conveyors of the type for transporting lumber from one workstation to another. Lugs spaced along the chains usually remain in transverse alignment and usually similarly orient the lumber, but the chains sometimes become desynchronized, causing the lugs to become misaligned, and the lumber unoriented on the conveyor. The tool is clamped on the drive sprocket of the chain that is out of synchronism and the sprocket is rotated, causing the chain to advance one tooth for each revolution. Rotation is continued until the de-synchronized chain is again synchronized with adjacent chains, and the lugs carried by the chains again transversely aligned.
Swiss 7,708,049 teaches the timber conveyor system which has a horizontal transverse first conveyor. A second transverse conveyor is located directly above the first conveyor, and is shorter than the first conveyor. The second conveyor can be swung about a horizontal axis passing through its middle. It can be adjusted either so that it moves parallel to the first conveyor, or so that one of its ends swings down to cooperate with the first conveyor. One end of the second conveyor can receive timber from the first conveyor, and the second end can deliver timber to the first conveyor.
The present invention relates to a lumber staging device comprising a first multi-level lumber conveying assembly including a plurality of vertically stacked substantially horizontal conveyors mounted on a corresponding conveyor support frame and a second multi-level conveying assembly including a second plurality of vertically stacked substantially horizontal conveyors mounted on a corresponding conveyor support frame disposed on opposite sides of the lumber stage drive for positioning a supply of lumber of different lengths within arms length of an operator of an automated saw or other lumber processing equipment.
The first and second multi-level lumber conveying assemblies each comprises a first or lower, a second or intermediate and a third or upper substantially horizontal conveyor such that the corresponding substantially horizontal conveyors of the first and second multi-level conveying assemblies are substantially parallel to each other to cooperatively form a first or lower conveyor assembly, a second or intermediate conveyor assembly and a third or upper conveyor assembly respectively to support lumber thereon.
The width of the third or upper conveyor assembly is greater than the width of the second or intermediate conveyor assembly which is greater than the width of the first or lower conveyor assembly. The length of the first or lower conveyor assembly is greater than the length of the second or intermediate conveyor assembly which is greater than the length of the third or upper conveyor assembly.
Each substantially horizontal conveyor in the first multi-level lumber conveying assembly and the corresponding substantially horizontal conveyor in the second multi-level lumber conveying assembly are affixed in spaced relationship relative to each other to cooperatively form a lower conveyor assembly, an intermediate conveyor assembly and an upper conveyor assembly.
Each conveyor assembly is operatively coupled to a corresponding conveyor drive. Each conveyor drive includes a lumber conveying chain operatively coupled to a positioning sprocket disposed at the lumber receiving end portion of the corresponding conveyor assembly and a drive sprocket disposed at the lumber discharge end portion of the corresponding conveyor assembly. Each positioning sprocket is affixed to a shaft rotatably supported by a sprocket support assembly disposed on opposite sides of the corresponding conveyor assembly. Each sprocket support assembly further includes a sprocket positioning member to position the corresponding sprocket support assembly relative to the lumber receiving end portion.
Each conveyor drive further includes a drive sprocket each operatively coupled to the corresponding lumber conveying chain affixed to opposite end portions of a corresponding drive shaft operatively coupled to a motor. With the rotation of the drive shaft, the corresponding lumber conveying chains of the conveyor assembly moves lumber from lumber receiving station at the lumber receiving end to the lumber discharge station at the lumber discharge end.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.